Romantic Fireplaces

Designs that Warm Your Home and Kindle Your Heart

February is the season of love and romance, and with the cold nights of winter just outside your door, little is more romantic than a cozy night at home snuggled up in front of a fire. Often the focal point of a room, fireplaces can warm both your heart and your home — whether rustic, traditional or contemporary. You’ll find fireplaces in a variety of shapes and sizes, often surrounded by wonderful materials or enhanced with features that deliver function as well as style.

Style

When designing a fireplace for a traditional New Hampshire vacation retreat or a Vermont ski home, I often favor local field stone extending the full height of the fireplace and chimney providing both rustic charm and a dramatic centerpiece. Adding a fireplace in dark hand-crafted cabinetry or a custom fir beam mantelshelf completes the casual look by reflecting the wooded New England setting in which the home is located. Rough stone can also be used as a fireplace surround in a contemporary home. Once again, it’s the cabinetry and mantel that create a fresh look and feel.

A fireplace in a traditional living room is often surrounded by marble. To add color and depth, I’m fond of framing the fireplace with custom cabinetry stained in bold tones. For a French-inspired look, a custom limestone fireplace surround with traditional detailing adds elegance to any room.

Function

Often, a fireplace provides a practical function in addition to adding style and romance to a room. To integrate a large television above or beside a mantel, custom cabinetry can be built to either display or hide the TV when not in use. A wood or gas-burning stove surrounded by a fieldstone fireplace adds both warmth and convenience.

In this season of romance, stay home with the best remedy for a cold winter night; enjoy the warmth only a fireplace can bring. “There is no place more delightful as one’s own fireplace,” said Roman philosopher Cicero. We couldn’t agree more!

For more information about creating a distinctive and inviting fireplace in your home, please be in touch.